Day 8 Bible Readings – Matthew 7: 7-11

Genesis 16-18, Matthew 6: 25-34, Matthew 7: 1-23, Psalms 7: 10-17

Matthew 7: 7-11

“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. Or which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!”

Verses 7 through 11 from Matthew 7 are well-known verses. Jesus tells everyone “ask and it shall be given to you, seek and you will find, knock and it will be opened to you.” I experienced an example of what Jesus said today. I received an email from an online shop that said if ordered $100 worth of merchandise, I would receive a $25 gift card. I went ahead and ordered an item that was over $100, but I never received the gift card. I called the online shop’s Customer Service line and Rep # 1 told me that I didn’t receive the gift card because the brand of the item I purchased was excluded from this kind of promotion. Rep # 1 suggested I order something else and see if it triggers the $25 gift card. I did as Rep # 1 suggested, but I could not get the gift card to trigger. I decided to call the online shop again and spoke to Rep # 2. I explained the situation to Rep # 2, and she decided to manually trigger the gift card for me. So I asked first and nothing happened, then I sought to see if I could get the gift card and still got nothing. Finally, I knocked on Rep # 2’s door and I received my gift card. Sometimes asking isn’t enough, and even seeking isn’t enough to get you what you want. You have to be persistent and not give up and keep knocking and knocking until you get what you want.

Day 7 Bible Readings – Matthew 6: 24 (ESV)

Genesis: 13-15, Matthew 6: 1-24, Psalm 7: 1-9

Matthew 6: 24 (ESV)

“No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.”

Verse 24 from Matthew 6 shows Jesus telling his followers that you cannot serve two masters. As a person of faith, I know that God is my master. But I have always struggled between serving God and serving another master. Sometimes that master has been my career. Sometimes it was a relationship. And other times it was between what I wanted for my life and where God was guiding me. Jesus was right. At times I hated God and loved my other man masters. I was either devoted to one and despising the other, and sometimes switching between hate and love several times a day. Thankfully as I got older, God won out more and more. But I still struggle with serving money and God. I know that God is always right in where he is guiding me, but I always struggle if that direction involves a loss of income. But I do know my treasure is in heaven, and that the riches of this lifetime will fade or be taken away. My real treasure is and will always my relationship with God. He is the one master I want to serve for the rest of my life.

Day 6 Bible Readings – Matthew 5: 8 (ESV)

Genesis 11& 12, Matthew 5, Psalm 6

Matthew 5: 8 (ESV)

“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.”

Verse 8 from Matthew 5 stood out to me. I used to think this verse meant that if you are in pure in heart, you will see God in heaven when you die. On further reflection, I believe people who are pure in heart can see God everywhere. If you are pure in heart, you will see God in nature. You can also see God in actions of others. Becoming pure in heart can be cultivated by deepening your relationship with God. If you dwell in God’s word daily, you will become closer to God. A person with a pure heart is devoted to God and single-minded in their commitment to God. My goal is to develop a purer heart so I can see God in my everyday life.

Day 5 Bible Readings – Genesis 9: 12-13 (ESV)

Genesis 9 & 10, Matthew 4: 23-25, Psalm 5

Genesis 9: 12-13 (ESV)

“And God said, “This is the sign of the covenant that I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for all future generations: I have set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and the earth.”

Verses 12 and 13 remind me that a rainbow was made by God as a sign of the covenant he made not only with Noah and his sons, but with the earth and the animals. God’s covenant was that he would never destroy the earth again with a flood. I’ve always loved rainbows because they are a rare and beautiful thing to see in the sky. Whenever I see a rainbow, I always see it as a sign of good luck. I also learned in childhood to make a wish whenever I see a rainbow. These verses remind me to be grateful to God of his promise to not destroy the earth by flood. God did a reset on humanity, and from this covenant he promised not do another reset until the circumstances described in Revelation. While we should always be afraid of natural disasters, we do not need to worry about God destroying the earth again.